Monthly Archives: April 2014

Have you whittled away an entire afternoon just by hopping links on the internet? I have happily spent this entire Friday afternoon doing just that, while waiting for the (hopefully) fun evening ahead of me tonight. (It’s Friday!). I just read an article on WordPress about some guys tips to save money. I don’t even remember exactly how I ended up on his page, and something I read there earlier seemed promising and I liked the way he wrote. So after an approving initial impression, I started on this list.

First tip. Look for change in every change dispenser you see. Second tip. Look for metal and scrap to recycle. Tip three. Look for cans to return to recycling facilities in your state. Tip four. Look for change in parking lots of busy malls.. I don’t think I could’ve stopped reading this even if I wanted to. Was he kidding? No. He concluded by saying he has saved tons of money by following exactly these tips (and a few more) for decades. Decades. I am still wondering if the whole thing was tongue-in-cheek or if this guy was earnest. Finding out would mean reading this list again, something I do not wish to do. There is a tiny part of me that feels bad about this whole thing though. I don’t even know where you’d have to go to return those soda cans at a recycling facility, to collect the five or ten cents you get. I haven’t even remotely considered doing that for any reason, even for recycling purposes. And change to me is just a nuisance that weighs down my wallet, not a source of newfound income.

A while ago, I found out that I wasn’t chosen to interview for a job I really hoped to get. It was not a good feeling. I spent a while being sad and angry about it. Angry about visa restrictions, mostly, but that is a post for another day if I ever write about it. Reading this possibly funny, or perhaps serious article makes me feel fortunate for the many things that I do have. The two of us are still a single-income family for the moment, but we are a happy two, and we don’t look for change on the street. For this, I am glad.